What did you think of Into Darkness Kaylore? I liked it a lot but wasn't really keen on the ending where they just flipped the script of the original.

But that show gets a lot of hate and I'm not sure why.

Did you ever read the ST books about the origins and rise of KNS? I thought they were pretty interesting.

I liked the new movies. I didn't like them as much as the old ones, but I thought Star Trek and ST Into Darkness were solid movies. I really like Benedict Cumberbatch (Big fan of the Sherlock mini series). I have a love/hate relationship with Abrams. His stories are flawed, often having large plot holes that are just totally ignored, but he tells his stories very well. The aliens and alien worlds in the new ST are much more believable. The physics seem to be more suited for outer space as well. They really use the whole vacuum of space aspect correctly. I like a lot of the new actors. I like the new space battles and the new ship.

Start Trek has always been pretty cheesy. Whenever a new movie comes out re-doing an old story or old characters, somehow people seem to mis-remember the originals as better than they were. When I read the negative comments about the new movies, if I'd never seen the old stuff, you'd think the old Trek movies and shows were Downton Abbey level plot and character development. Patrick Stewart had the Shakespearean/London acting expertise (yet one more reason Picard > Kirk) but most of the others didn't. James Doohan's Scotty is borderline racist. Chekov's accent is just awful. And I think Brent Spiner and William Shatner both are guilty of overacting their parts. The stories and effects haven't all aged well. I mean at the end of the day it's science fiction - sometimes really good sci fi, and sometimes pretty awful. I think Start Trek is at its best when it isn't taking itself to seriously.

Personally I always preferred Star Trek to Star Wars. They were "first" and didn't have the luxury of only having to tell six stories. However I also see it for what it is; campy fun that sometimes makes you think. Star Trek isn't some sacrosanct art piece that no one should replicate out of reverence for Leonard Nimoy or whatever. It's meant for pure enjoyment. If you're trying to get anymore than that out of it, you will be disappointed.